Koei made quite the event out of its Samurai Warriors 3 unveiling in Tokyo today. Not only were the big corporate suits in attendance, but such big names as Shigeru Miyamoto and Gackt took to the stage as well!

Samurai Warriors 3, or as its known here as Sengoku Musou 3, was first announced for the Wii last year. All went silent on the game until earlier this week, when mainstream media sources picked up on a story about singer Gackt performing the theme song for the game and acting as an image character for commercials.

Today's press event offered a first real look at the game. Tecmo Koei Holdings CEO Kenji Matsubara started things off by noting the importance of the game for the company. He passed the mic off to Koei's Yoshiki Sugiyama, who recounted the series' history, noting that the third entry is appearing a year later than one might have expected given the gaps between the first entry, released in 2004, and the second entry, released in 2006. He also explained that the reason the Wii was chosen as the game's platform was out of a desire to have the largest audience possible playing the game.

Based of Sugiyama's comments, Wii could be the main platform for the Samurai Warriors franchise. The concept of part 3 is "Starting Ikki Tousen on the Wii." (Ikki Tousen is a term that's used to describe the one versus many battles one sees in Dynasty Warriors games.) "We'd like to continue the Samurai Warriors series for a long time, not just with 3, but with 4, 5, and 6. Within that, we'd like that when people are asked for the title that represents Wii, they respond with Samurai Warriors."

The dirty work of explaining the specifics behind the game was left to producer Hisashi Koinuma. He promised flashier action and greater damage through the game's new "Musou Ougi Kaiden" special attacks. The game also features a new type of attack called "Shadow Attacks" which deplete a skill gauge but result in gorgeous combos.

All these attacks and skills will likely come natural to fans of the series. Although appearing on the Wii, Samurai Warriors will feature traditional controls via not the Wiimote, but the Classic Controller Pro. It wasn't specified if the game will require the device like Capcom's Monster Hunter G, or if it will be just an option.

Samurai Warriors 3 looks like it will have the greatest volume yet for the series. The game's story will cover the entirety of the Sengoku era. Players can look forward to over 35 playable characters -- the most ever for the series. This includes new characters as well as old ones, redesigned with new actions.

Shigeru Miyamoto's surprise appearance followed Koinuma's introduction. The creator of Mario and Zelda took the stage to detail a collaboration between Nintendo and Koei for the game. Samurai Warriors 3 will feature a mode of play themed around the Nintendo Famicom Disc System classic Nazo no Mura Samejou, of which Miyamoto was producer. Sadly, specifics on the mode were not shared.

Samurai Warriors 3 will be released on its own and in bundled form as part of a Classic Controller Pro set. Koei is also preparing a Treasure Box limited edition, bundling in a soundtrack CD, figures, and other goods.

Players will get their first shot at the game at September's Tokyo Game Show, where it will appear in playable form. A final release is set for November. An ad in this week's Famitsu provides a more specific November 19 date.